The Flip Side of Presubmission Reviews and August \u3ci\u3eJOE\u3c/i\u3e Highlights

In the last issue of JOE, I stressed to authors the importance of having one\u27s work read before submitting it. In The Flip Side of Presubmission Reviews, I explore this topic from the reader\u27s perspective. In August JOE Highlights, I note articles that underscore the need for health-related policy, systems, and environmental change interventions and other programming meant to right inequities as well as articles describing innovations Extensionists have applied to various challenges, including those produced by the COVID-19 pandemic

Farewell and December \u3ci\u3eJOE\u3c/i\u3e Highlights

As JOE enters a new phase of its existence beginning in 2021, I will leave my position as editor in chief. In the Farewell section of this Editor’s Page, I anticipate JOE’s bright future and reflect on what my time with JOE has meant to me. In December JOE Highlights, I focus on the power and utility of JOE Ideas at Work and Tools of the Trade articles and spotlight some of the most important articles in the issue’s other sections

Groundwater animals

Groundwater animals are adapted to live in environments with no light and limited nutrients, They can provide insights into fundamental questions of evolution, ecology and biodiversity. They also have an important role to play in informing the reconstruction of past changes in geomorphology and climate, and can be used for characterising aquifers. The BGS is undertaking a systematic survey of selected areas and lithologies in the UK where groundwater animals have not been investigated. This is important because little is known about groundwater ecosystems in the UK despite the unique contribution to biodiversity made by these animals. Groundwater organisms are also thought to provide ecosystem services by means of their role in nutrient cycling and natural remediation of pollutants in the subsurface. They may also be useful indicators of human impacts on groundwaters

Site investigation techniques for DNAPL source and plume zone characterisation

Establishing the location of the Source Area BioREmediation (SABRE) research cell was a primary objective of the site characterisation programme. This bulletin describes the development of a two-stage site characterisation methodology that combined qualitative and quantitative data to guide and inform an assessment of dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) distribution at the site. DNAPL site characterisation has traditionally involved multiple phases of site investigation, characterised by rigid sampling and analysis programmes, expensive mobilisations and long decision-making timeframes (Crumbling, 2001a) , resulting in site investigations that are costly and long in duration. Here we follow the principles of an innovative framework, termed Triad (Crumbling, 2001a, 2001b; Crumbling et al., 2001, Crumbling et al. 2003), which describes a systematic approach for the characterisation and remediation of contaminated sites. The Triad approach to site characterisation focuses on three main components: a) systematic planning which is implemented with a preliminary conceptual site model from existing data. The desired outcomes are planned and decision uncertainties are evaluated; b) dynamic work strategies that focus on the need for flexibility as site characterisation progresses so that new information can guide the investigation in real-time and c) real-time measurement technologies that are critical in making dynamic work strategies possible. Key to this approach is the selection of suitable measurement technologies, of which there are two main categories (Crumbling et al., 2003). The first category provides qualitative, dense spatial data, often with detection limits over a preset value. These methods are generally of lower cost, produce real-time data and are primarily used to identify site areas that require further investigation. Examples of such "decisionquality" methods are laser induced fluorescence (Kram et al., 2001), membrane interface probing (McAndrews et al., 2003) and cone penetrometer testing (Robertson, 1990), all of which produce data in continuous vertical profiles. Because these methods are rapid, many profiles can be generated and hence the subsurface data density is greatly improved. These qualitative results are used to guide the sampling strategy for the application of the second category of technologies that generate quantitative, precise data that have low detection limits and are analyte-specific. These methods tend to be high cost with long turnaround times that preclude on-site decision making, hence applying them to quantify rather than produce a conceptual model facilitates a key cost saving. Examples include instrumental laboratory analyses such as soil solvent extractions (Parker et al., 2004)and water analyses (USEPA, 1996). Where these two categories of measurement technologies are used in tandem, a more complete and accurate dataset is achieved without additional site mobilisations. The aim of the site characterisation programme at the SABRE site was to delineate the DNAPL source zone rapidly and identify a location for the in situ research cell. The site characterisation objectives were to; a) test whether semi-quantitative measurement techniques could reliably determine geological interfaces, contaminant mass distribution and inform the initial site conceptual model; and b) quantitatively determine DNAPL source zone distribution, guided by the qualitative site conceptual model

Educational Considerations, vol. 42(1) Full Issue

Educational Considerations, vol. 42(1)-Fall 2014-Full issu

Foreword

In her examination of Powerful Teacher Education (2006), Linda Darling-Hammond concludes that, “Clearly, a key to dramatically successful preparation of teachers is finding ever more effective ways of connecting the knowledge of the university with the knowledge of the school.

Table of contents and editorial information for Vol. 42, no. 1, Fall 2014

This content includes the table of contents, editorial information, public information and more for this special issue The Kansas State University Professional Development School Partnership

A combined geochemical and hydrological approach for understanding macronutrient sources

This study employed complementary geochemical techniques and distributed hydrological modelling to investigate multiple sources of catchment macronutrients and characterise their changes in contrasting storm and baseflow conditions. This approach was demonstrated for the Beult catchment in the county of Kent (England), a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) indentified as failing to meet water quality standards for key nutrients under the Water Framework Directive. Significant changes in nutrient stoichiometry and bioavailability are observed for surface waters under contrasting flow regimes. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations are approximately twice as high during baseflow compared to high flow, while the inverse is true for particulate, colloidal and dissolved hydrolysable phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon and nitrate. Nitrogen (N):phosphorus (P) ratios are lower during baseflow for most surface waters impacted by diffuse sources of pollution. Fluorescence indices of dissolved organic matter (DOM) show that waste water inputs may be locally important sources of more complex low molecular weight DOM, particularly during baseflow. Nitrate N and O isotope signatures, combined with other dissolved chemical tracers, confirm the dominance of wastewater N inputs at sites downsteam of sewerage treatment works during baseflow, with a shift towards the soil N pool in surface waters across the catchment during high flow. Distributed hydrological modelling using the Grid-to-Grid model reveal areas with the greatest runoff also export higher N and P concentrations, and hence deliver a greater flux of macronutrients, while forested areas with low nutrient concentrations reduce runoff and nutrient fluxes. During periods of high runoff, nested sampling indicates that nutrient fluxes scale with catchment area. This combined approach enables a more thorough assessment of the macronutrient sources and dynamics, better informing management options in nutrient impacted catchments

Americans\u27 Attitudes Toward Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide, 1936-2002

Public opinion polls conducted from 1936 to 2002 found that Americans support both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Although public opinion regarding end-oflife decisions appears to have been influenced by the events of the times, Americans have consistently favored the freedom to end one\u27s life when the perceived quality of life has significantly diminished, either by one\u27s own hand or with the assistance of a physician. This paper indicates that existing policy regarding euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide conflicts with the American public\u27s attitudes regarding the matter, as well as examines implications for social workers who serve clients facing end-of-life decisions